“Be strong and know how to defend yourself": the story of Anastasiia, a participant of self-defense courses for women and girls

“Be strong and know how to defend yourself” is the motivational slogan for participants of self-defense courses implemented by the NGO ''Enlightened Initiative'' with the support of UN Women Ukraine and the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). This is not just a slogan, but training in real self-defense techniques, ways to respond to aggression, and the development of physical and psychological skills.

Anastasiia is one of the course participants. The girl is from the Polohy district of Zaporizhzhia region, and together with her mother she managed to escape from the occupation. When she saw the information about self-defense courses in Zaporizhzhia, she responded without hesitation because, unfortunately, she had a traumatic experience in her native village. 

“My mother and I lived under occupation and almost became victims of violence. They were Russian military. They were drunk and armed. We were just lucky that we were able to escape. There was absolutely no one nearby who could have come to help us. And this was not the only case in my life. Later, in the dormitory, there were also situations when I had to write statements to the police. So I wanted to learn how to protect myself and my family. When faced with aggression, fear is what prevents you from resisting,” said Anastasiia.

The self-defense course consists of 10 lessons, each of which includes a physical warm-up, theoretical and practical parts of self-defense techniques. Participants learn about techniques that allow them to counteract an attacker and practice them. Women and girls get to know each other, and in an atmosphere of trust and empathy, they can share their own experiences that may be useful to others. 

The trainer emphasizes: “The main aspect of these classes is learning to resist the offender, to look for possible ways out of the situation, instead of obeying and choosing the role of the victim in advance.” In Zaporizhzhia, self-defense courses are held in a room in the Enlight space, which has special equipment for such classes. 

Anastasiia was part of this group and never missed a single training session. She said that the knowledge and skills she gained were useful to her, she changed and became more confident. And if necessary, she will be able to protect herself and her family and knows that she will act confidently and will not allow herself to be harmed.  

"From the first lessons, I felt I could do it. I need to be able to defend myself. But the most important thing I gained is confidence. And I like myself the way I am!” the heroine shared. 

The team hopes that there will be more and more such success stories and that this will inspire other women and girls to learn self-defense. 

The project is implemented by the NGO “Enlightened Initiative” with the technical support of UN Women Ukraine and funded by the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), a flexible and responsive funding instrument that supports quality interventions to increase the capacity of local women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities. 

This publication has been prepared with the financial support of the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), but the views and contents expressed herein are not necessarily those of the United Nations and are not officially endorsed or recognized by the United Nations. 

Фото: ХОМГО «Освічена ініціатива»/ Ситнік Каміла